Norway 2023
Our (my wife and I) vacation in May 2023 included a cruise to Norway and Iceland.
We started in Southampton, UK.
Our first stop in Norway was a small settlement, Olden, with about 500 inhabitants, at the end of the Olden Fjord, where the sea advances over 100 km inland.
We started in Southampton, UK.
Our first stop in Norway was a small settlement, Olden, with about 500 inhabitants, at the end of the Olden Fjord, where the sea advances over 100 km inland.
The freshness of nature was fantastic. We walked the paths along the fjord. We could have chosen bus tours, but we always had more confidence in our feet and it was better outside than inside a bus.
Paid excursions included a visit to a glacier, and others to some waterfalls.
Anyway, we walked, and we saw many waterfalls.
Anyway, we walked, and we saw many waterfalls.
After about 3 hours of walking, we returned to the ship.
The second stop was Isafjordur, at the end of another fjord. The town has around 2,600 inhabitants.
It has 2 churches, the most visited was the one at the end of the town.
I saw very few locals, I think when there are no tourists it seems like a town that sleeps all the time.
We continued with our usual walk around the area, but we couldn't go very far because it was raining. We returned to the boat, wet, after 2 hours of walking.
The last stop of the ship in Norway was Alesund. With a population of around 67,000, it is presented as one of the most beautiful cities in the Scandinavian country.
Well, what I saw reinforced my belief that a trip to Norway is worth it for the scenery, I am not so sure about the cities. The architecture is as I already knew about a Nordic town.
The city center can be compared in size to the center of Cluj or Brașov, but the comparison is clearly in favor of the two cities in Romania.
Cluj (for example) also has its own architecture, very interesting, and in addition it has a vibe that you feel at every step. In Alesund it was silent, and as I have already gotten used to, there were only steamers on the streets.
The picture below is of a pub (restaurant/bar).
Cluj (for example) also has its own architecture, very interesting, and in addition it has a vibe that you feel at every step. In Alesund it was silent, and as I have already gotten used to, there were only steamers on the streets.
The picture below is of a pub (restaurant/bar).
At one point, two people tried to get out of that bar, so drunk that they struggled for 5 minutes to get to the street, but the door had strong bolts and slammed against them every time they tried. Their legs gave out and they had to take a step back. The taxi that was waiting for them left, and they returned, possibly for another round of strength.
Because unstable weather was announced, we did not venture out of the city, on foot or on any bus trip.
The only attraction we saw were some stairs to get to a building somewhere on the hill, closed by the way. The fun was that you could see the surroundings of the city from the terrace.
Because unstable weather was announced, we did not venture out of the city, on foot or on any bus trip.
The only attraction we saw were some stairs to get to a building somewhere on the hill, closed by the way. The fun was that you could see the surroundings of the city from the terrace.
We gave up because it started raining right when we stepped on the first step.
We didn't see Oslo, maybe there's something more interesting there...
In my opinion, a trip to Norway is worth it for those who love nature. I really enjoyed what I saw walking and from the boat. The fjords are spectacular.
